Burned 3 batches of peanut brittle in one night and hid the smoke smell from my husband with a candle

Vera Rodriguez · 2026-09-29T17:40:03.464136+00:00

Back when my mother made peanut brittle, she just used a candy thermometer and it always worked. Last Tuesday I tried her recipe for the church bake sale and ruined three batches in a row. The first one turned black in about 40 seconds while I was answering a text, the second seized up into a rock because I stirred it too early, and the third I pulled off the heat too soon so it stayed chewy and gross. By 10pm my kitchen smelled like burnt sugar and I had the window open in 30 degree weather trying to air it out. My husband walked in and asked if something was on fire, and I just pointed at the trash can. I ended up buying two pies from the grocery store and passing them off as mine, which I still feel bad about. Does anyone have a trick for knowing when the sugar is actually ready without a thermometer, because I clearly cannot read the color right?

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Burned 3 batches of peanut brittle in one night and hid the smoke smell from my husband with a candle | Cooking Fails Confessional - Talk Freely